Digital Lifescapes

Across the globe, many enterprise CIOs and CTOs have already deployed several use cases that deliver effective customer care applications through cloud-based contact center solutions. Today's contact centers allow customers to interact online with service representatives within an organization. Historically, customers were only able to reach organizations via voice telephone calls. However, after legacy call centers developed into modern 'contact centers', this enabled customers to communicate via their preferred method online. As companies continue to develop contact centers and invest in prominent technologies such as cloud services, contact centers began to adapt their architecture from on-premises to cloud-based solutions due to their increased flexibility, reliability, scalability, and security. CCaaS Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the global Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) market revenue will reach $15.6 bill...

Across the globe, eCommerce is about to enter the next phase of market development. This transition started back in 2013, when the value of mobile and online physical goods sales exceeded $1 trillion for the first time and last year exceeded $1.4 trillion. Based upon the ongoing adoption of smartphones and media tablets, the momentum for growth comes from the rapidly evolving mobile applications sphere -- with the Chinese marketplace, in particular, experiencing stellar increases. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, global eRetail sales are expected to reach $1.7 trillion in 2015 -- that's up by more than 17 percent on the 2014 total. While recent growth had been buoyed by factors such as more free public Wi-Fi access and 4G cellular network deployments, the next wave of eRetail growth activity will be enacted by social media companies that use their mobile software apps to enable direct sales to consumers. Juniper observed that leading socia...

The mobile phone has long since graduated from being a device that purely enables person-to-person voice communication. The role of the smartphone is far more expansive, as it has become embedded into lifestyles -- used to surf the web, take photos, connect to social networks, get directions, etc. The proliferation and adoption of the smartphone in particular has been a game changer -- totally redefining what a personal telephone device is capable of doing for the owner -- as well as raising expectations for the user interface (UI). Handset manufacturers have had to innovate in new modes of device control that allow users to operate it without having to touch, or indeed, look at it. Moreover, as these devices enable access to a wealth of personal information about the user, new forms of security are required. Juniper Research  has found that that more than 770 million biometric authentication applications will be downloaded per year by 2019 -- that's up from just 6 million th...

Media tablets, especially for younger people, are an extension of the television program viewing experience. The implications to advertisers on TV could be very significant, because much of the use occurs during commercial breaks. According to the latest market study by NPD Group, 56 percent of U.S. tablet owners age 18-34 use their tablet for activities related to the TV program they are watching, or for other online related activities.  In contrast, this compares to just 41 percent among all tablet owners age 18 and older. The top three TV-related tablet activities among Millennials are: Searching for TV programs to watch (34 percent). Social media engagement related to a TV program (31 percent). And, learning more about the program they are viewing (30 percent). Even more tablet owners age 18-34 say they want to use their device in conjunction with TV viewing in the future, and apparently social media is a driving factor. Among Millennial tablet owners, 44 percent ...

Today, what's the primary purpose of the website for a major brand? Should content from social media drive traffic to the brand's website? Or should brand sites drive traffic to social sites? If a brand’s social media activity gets more traffic than its website, is it necessary to maintain both? These are the key questions that eMarketer attempted to answer during their latest market study. Perhaps 2013 is the time to rethink the inherent goal and objectives for maintaining a corporate branded website. Regardless, when potential customers search for online information during their buying cycle, they eventually arrive at a company's primary site. That being said, eMarketer believes that product marketers are typically spending more effort to engage with customers outside of their company website -- on Facebook and numerous other social media channels. Brand web pages are still a primary resource for people seeking information about products and the companies that m...

How many people are playing social, mobile and online games? How much revenue are social and mobile games producing, and how is this income derived? And, what online and mobile venues are game developers using, and how is the online venue mix evolving? These are some of the key questions that eMarketer pondered during their latest gaming market study. American audiences for mobile games are growing rapidly, while active players for more mature categories -- such as social and online casual gaming -- are expected to grow more modestly in the next few years, according to eMarketer . As a result, advertising in mobile gaming will expand faster than in other areas. Social gaming revenues will also grow -- thanks to momentum in virtual goods monetization and advertising, but growth in social will be less spectacular than in mobile. Meanwhile, eMarketer believes that sales of traditional packaged video games and gaming consoles will show signs of contraction. A survey by Frank N. ...

BIA/Kelsey forecasts U.S. social media advertising revenues will reach $9.2 billion in 2016 -- that's up from $4.6 billion in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.2 percent. According to the finding from their fall update, the local segment of U.S. social media advertising revenues will grow from $1.1 billion in 2012 to $3 billion in 2016 (CAGR: 28 percent). "The year 2012 can be viewed as social advertising’s coming of age," said Jed Williams, program director, social local media at BIA/Kelsey . The continued development of native ads, such as Facebook Sponsored Stories and Twitter Promoted Tweets, and the acceleration of mobile monetization will be the primary drivers of social advertising growth through 2016. BIA/Kelsey defines social media advertising as money spent on advertising formats across social networks. Social display advertising will continue to account for a higher percentage of revenues, due in large part to Facebook’s Ma...

According to the findings from a recent market study, when generating new content from scratch, establishing prospective customer engagement is a common objective for business-to-business (B2B) marketers. But what constitutes meaningful engagement? Apparently, it's all about the inherent power of a good story. eMarketer reports that eighty-one percent of B2B technology marketers worldwide cited "engaging and compelling storytelling" as the most important elements of effective content marketing. Regardless, few actually practice what they profess -- given the content they routinely produce and distribute as marketing communications professionals. Within the highly technical or complex industry sectors, engagement and originality trumped professional writing when generating content marketing assets. Once again, indicating marketer recognition that customers and prospects will rely on substantive content to make their decisions, we know that people are initially draw...

eMarketer estimates the number of social network users around the world will rise this year to 1.4 billion -- that's up from 1.18 billion in 2011. The reported 20 percent increase is a slight drop from the growth rate in 2011. In fact, the global upside potential will continue to shrink as the market matures. That being said, if you want to connect with the most engaged online consumers in Latin American, then consider reaching out to Argentinians -- apparently, they're the most active social media participants. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , their global assessment of growth in social network usage highlighted that it's now driven primarily by the emerging markets. However, in Latin America growth will be slightly below the worldwide average, but it will still represent a 18.5 percent increase in social networking users this year. With relatively low penetration among the total population, social networks still have room to grow in the regio...

Do you remember the time when it was in vogue for nearly all upcoming marketing consultants to claim that they were "experts" in search engine optimization (SEO)? I remember it well.  After most of these folks discovered the social media trend, then they quickly shifted their focus. Regardless, today search remains a key component of savvy digital marketer campaigns. Perhaps the huge flock of self-proclaimed social media experts will rediscover search, once the current "social everything" fad has lost its appeal -- we'll have to wait and see. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , search can help to build strong brands by bettering their brand-health metrics. But creating long-term relationships with their valued customers is usually the top priority. eMarketer says "even though a majority of business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers now believe that search affects brand-building, digital marketing executives sometimes still find it tough t...

Television broadcasters around the world are apparently deeply divided over their strategy for Social TV applications. Regardless, most seem to agree on one significant point -- they desperately need a meaningful game plan now, while the window of opportunity is still open. According to the findings from the latest market study by Futurescape , a key trend in the first half of 2012 is that some broadcasters are moving quickly to counteract the perceived influence and power that Facebook and Twitter are having over their TV audiences. The savvy broadcasters are now investing in Social TV companies and launching their own Social TV platforms. Meanwhile, others are following a diametrically opposed strategy of partnering with the dominant social networks -- in an attempt to facilitate viewer interaction. This is most evident for the kinds of major news and sports programming that viewers discuss on second screen devices -- such as smartphones and tablets -- during the live TV broadc...

The upcoming summer Olympic Games in London, England will set a precedent for the use and application of advanced digital technology -- that's from the perspective of both multimedia content producers and consumers. The BBC says that London 2012 will be the first truly digital Games. They will ensure audiences never miss a moment, delivering unprecedented coverage across multiple digital platforms -- so that sports fans can stay up to date wherever they are, whenever they want to view the action. The BBC will give audiences more choice, with access to: Every Olympic event, sport and venue live, on-demand and interactive on bbc.co.uk/sport , with up to 24 live HD streams and 2,500 hours of coverage. Pages for every athlete, sport, venue and country, enabling detailed access to real-time updated Olympics data, statistics and news. High quality coverage that’s personal and social, enabling audiences to follow and favorite every athlete, sport, event and country and get tailore...

While the advertising sector's market outlook still looks bleak in many nations, some emerging countries offer an upbeat perspective. As an example, the outlook for advertising as a whole within China is a very promising one, and marketer spending for online ads in particular is perhaps the most positive of all. eMarketer estimates that online ad spending increased by 43.2 percent in 2011, and they forecast another increase of 39 percent in 2012. Growth will be driven by the increased adoption in both internet penetration and online activities -- such as online video, social media and search. According to an April 2012 report from consultancies R3 and Admaster Digital Consulting, more than four-fifths of marketers in China plan on increasing digital media spending during 2012. Moreover, 41 percent of surveyed marketers plan to increase their spending by at least 20 percent, and 13 percent will increase spending by 50 percent or more in China. Marketers in China are espe...

In America, we live in an age of abundant media -- where new content options add to the spectrum of traditional content from which people can choose. Online video, social networking and other digital media options are occupying increasing amounts of time. Mobile network broadband connectivity further extends our access to digital content throughout the day. Meanwhile, legacy broadcast TV is still popular, but there's a constant distraction (especially during commercials) -- and it's called multitasking. "For marketers, the age of multitasking means consumers are available to receive multiple streams of messages at the same time," said Mark Dolliver, media analyst at eMarketer . "But multitasking also yields an audience whose attention is divided." eMarketer estimates that U.S. adults fit more than 11 hours of media content consumption into an average day in 2011, that's double-counting for simultaneous media usage. For marketers, the downside of...

Smartphone shipments to emerging markets will drive new growth in the years ahead -- the implications are significant; it's a major shift in focus. According to the latest market study by International Data Corporation ( IDC ), China will become the leading global market for smartphone shipments in 2012, moving ahead of the current leader, the United States. Looking ahead to 2016, two additional emerging markets, India and Brazil, will enter the top 5 country markets for smartphone user adoption. "Due to their sheer size, strong demand, and healthy replacement rates, emerging markets are quickly becoming the engines of the worldwide smartphone market," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC. Users in emerging markets seek more than simple voice telephony, and smartphones offer the ideal platform for mobile entertainment, social networking, and business usage. Meanwhile, mature markets, such as Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, will experi...

Call centers must address their customer's changing channel preferences and improve first contact resolution on the web -- in both emerging and developed countries -- according to the latest market study by Ovum. To help understand how adoption of social media and smartphones is evolving, Ovum conducted a survey of over 4,000 consumers across four developed countries (the US, the UK, France, and Germany) and four emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). In a new report the market research firm outlined the survey results, including the ways in which consumers are using social media for customer service across these regions. "Web savvy consumers in emerging markets, such as China and India, are more inclined to use social media for customer service as opposed to consumers in developed countries, said Aphrodite Brinsmead, Customer Interaction Analyst at Ovum . They are using social media to ask and respond to questions in communities, as well as to complain...

More forward thinking companies that market their business-to-business (B2B) offerings online are using social media as a key ingredient of their marketing mix. Marketers believe that the more focused B2B networking sites, such as LinkedIn, are an effective way to generate leads -- while more casual social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are helping to reach customers in new ways. "Leveraging social media for branding and awareness-building can help humanize B2B companies, establish them as thought leaders, and offer new touch-points for connecting with customers and prospects,” said Kimberly Maul, analyst at eMarketer . Social Media Marketing as a Mainstream Practice As of May 2011, 89 percent of U.S. based B2B companies were using social media marketing , according to web survey company iTracks. Their survey was conducted among Business Marketing Association members, CMOs and other senior employees overseeing B2B marketing programs. The majority of sur...

Mobile Interactive Group (MIG)  released the results of a recent market study about the trends and opportunities in participation TV (P-TV) services -- in particular, interactive social channels across global broadcast television markets. Their research uncovered key technological and behavioural insights into the entire P-TV value chain -- from the types of devices that consumers use to interact with TV shows -- such as media tablet, internet, mobile, apps, SMS and fixedline broadband -- how they multi-task with them while watching TV and over which payment channels they prefer to purchase participation services such as voting and competitions. The study considered the role of mash-ups between established social media channels, in particular Twitter and Facebook, with broadcast TV interactivity -- concluding that there's a potential new business model. MIG calls that model "Social Participation TV." Key findings from the recent MIG market study include: Mobile ...

comScore released the results from a study of mobile social networking check-in service users. The study found that 16.7 million U.S. mobile subscribers used location-based check-in services on their phones in March 2011 -- representing 7.1 percent of the entire mobile population. About 12.7 million check-in users did so on a smartphone -- representing 17.6 percent of the smartphone population. The study also found that they showed a high propensity for mobile media usage, including accessing retail sites and shopping guides, and displayed other characteristics of early adopters -- including a higher interest in tablet devices and accessing tech news, when compared to the average smartphone user. "Although still in their relative infancy, location-based mobile check-in services are seeing rather impressive adoption among smartphone users," said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. "The ability to interact with consumers on this micro-local level t...

According to a recent eMarketer report, a study of the typical online buying process has uncovered the journey for most people, and the growing number of resources that buyers rely on -- as they make their informed purchase decisions. Research from GroupM Search and comScore highlights the increased use of another resource consumers are turning to in combination with their proven search engine usage -- that being, a variety social media content. Skeptical marketers that question the influence of independent product reviews on purchasing habits now have reason to rethink that skepticism. eMarketer says that buyers who will purchase are almost as likely to use a combination of search and social resources (48 percent) as they are to just use search alone (51 percent). Furthermore, when people were exposed to both brand-specific search results and social media, search click-through rates increased by 94 percent -- indicating how substantive product review content can help market...